Generally, refrigerators are home appliances for storing foods at low temperature in an internal storage space covered by a refrigerator door. The refrigerators can store foods at an optimum state by cooling the storage space using cooling air generated through heat exchange with a refrigerant circulating a cooling cycle.
Refrigerators generally include internal storage spaces divided into a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. The temperature within the refrigerator compartment is maintained at about 1 to 4 degrees centigrade to store foods such as vegetables in a fresh state. The temperature within the freezer compartment is maintained at about 18 degrees below zero centigrade to store foods such as meats and fishes in a frozen state. Various types of refrigerators may be provided according to an arrangement of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment and configurations of refrigerator doors that cover the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.
The size of the refrigerators tends to increase more and more and multi-functions are provided to the refrigerators as dietary life changes and pursues high quality, and accordingly, refrigerators of various structures with consideration of user convenience are brought to the market.
Such a refrigerator is classified into a side by side-type refrigerator in which a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment are horizontally arranged side-by-side, a bottom-freezer type refrigerator in which a freezer compartment is disposed below a refrigerator compartment, and a top mount-type refrigerator in which a freezer compartment is disposed above a refrigerator compartment. Thus, a refrigerator of the desired type can be selected according to user's requirements.
An ice maker for making and storing ice is provided in the refrigerator. The ice maker is disposed inside a body of the refrigerator, or is disposed in a refrigerator door for covering a portion of the body. At this time, the refrigerator door including the ice maker usually includes a pivotable door.
A dispenser for dispensing the ice made by the ice maker to the outside is disposed in the refrigerator door. Thus, a desired amount of ice can be dispensed according to a user s manipulation without opening the refrigerator door.